Help Me Pick My Next Book!

by Kim on September 3, 2010 · 0 comments

I finished The Hunger Games Trilogy yesterday, after what was a pretty crazy month of reading. I finished 14 books in August, which amounted to just over 4,500 pages. I don’t think I’ve ever had a reading month that productive.

But it was also exhausting! Especially reading the Hunger Games books straight through, three days in a row because, because those books are dark. When I finished Mockingjay, the only word I could think to describe the book was “bleak.”

So I’m on a little bit of a reading vacation, catching up on some DVDs of Sports Night and trying to read blogs. And while I’m taking a break, I want you to help me pick my next book.

Leave your vote, plus any additional comments, in the comments, and I’ll choose my next book sometime this weekend. Here are your choices:

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French, a journalist who goes behind the scenes at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.

Proust and the Squid: They Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf, which is about exactly what the subtitle suggests.

Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. I got this one after reading a NYT article about the phenomenon and got really interested.

The Woman Who Tell from the Sky: An American Journalist in Yemen by Jennifer Steil, because Jill at Fizzy Thoughts mailed it to me and I’m excited about it.

Let me know what book you think I should grab next! And look for some thoughts on my Hunger Games series re-read this Sunday after I’ve had time to sort everything out.

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Review: The Big Year by Mark Obmascik

by Kim on August 31, 2010 · 6 comments

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Title: The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession
Author: Mark Obmascik
Genre/Format: Narrative Nonfiction
Year: 2004
Acquired: Bought
Rating: ★★★★☆

One Sentence Summary: Competitive bird watching is a real thing, and 1998 was a banner year for one of the sports’ oddest competitions.

One Sentence Review: The Big Year is an entertaining and well-paced look at an obscure hobby and the people who love it.

Why I Read It: It was on a clearance table at Half Price Books, and I love a good clearance find.

Read the rest of this post after the jump →

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The Sunday Salon: Reading and Wine

August 29, 2010 Book Review
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About three months ago, Boyfriend and I were invited to join a wine tasting group here in Madison called WASTED – it’s an acronym for something, but no one can see to remember what! I’m not a big wine expert, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to know more about. There’s something sophisticated and classic [...]

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Shout-Outs from “Ms. Dorkiness”

August 27, 2010 Musings

The whole blogging and publishing space is new for everyone, so it’s inevitable that there will be missteps and mistakes. But getting a bad pitch often reminds me of just how many publishers and publicists are doing a great job of working and interacting with bloggers.

To get back some karma after pointing out a negative, here’s a not-at-all-comprehensive list of a few people and organizations that I’ve seen doing good things to connect online.

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Review: Finny by Justin Kramon

August 26, 2010 Book Review
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One Sentence Summary: At 14-years-old, Finny Short runs away, and the boy she meets while on the lam changes her life for the better.

One Sentence Review: Finny was the perfect light but impactful read that I wanted while on vacation at the lake.

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BookClubSandwich: Wrapping-Up Coop by Michael Perry

August 24, 2010 BookClubSandwich
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This is the wrap up post for the first edition of BookClubSandwich, an online book club for foodies and wannabes. Andi (Estella’s Revenge) hosted the discussion on Michael Perry’s book Coop at her blog starting last Monday, and it looks like we had quite a few people participating which is awesome.

I, unfortunately, didn’t get to chat as much as I wanted to because of The Move and the fact that we didn’t get our internet hooked up until Sunday. It’s hard to blog without the web.

But, I loved Coop! And I loved all the things people had to say about the book. Here are some of the things I wish I’d been able to write/say, with some of my commentary sprinkled in (links go to reviews of Coop).

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Narrative Nonfiction 5: Technology and Your Mind

August 20, 2010 Narrative Nonfiction 5
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This is a little bit of a nontraditional Narrative Nonfiction 5 list, since I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call most of these books “narrative nonfiction.” They’re more classic nonfiction, even though the bits I’ve read of each do have a conversational style that I really appreciate.

The books on this list are all responses to the fact that technology is changing us as individuals and a society – some think for the better, and some think for the worse. Ever since I started my new job (working for a engineering trade magazine), it seems I can’t get enough of this discussion, and wanted to share some of the books I’m most excited about reading with you.

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Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

August 17, 2010 Book Review
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One Sentence Summary: Unable to afford school, 14-year-old Malawian William Kamkwamba pursued his education at his village library where his life was changed by a book called Using Energy.

One Sentence Review: William’s memoir was the perfect combination for me – compelling story, strong narrative voice, and connections to real life.

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Preview: Keys to Good Cooking by Harold McGee

August 13, 2010 News and Notes
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I am not the world’s most impressive chef, but I’ve always wanted to be a good cook. I’ve debated signing up for cooking classes, but end up skipping it because of expenses or time.

As a cook I like to have recipes, but tend to not follow them exactly. It drives my boyfriend crazy when I don’t measure – too lazy to wash all the measuring utensils – or just guess on how long something should cook. This works out for me about half the time, and the other half I get something weird that doesn’t quite seem right.

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Going Unplugged

August 11, 2010 Musings
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This is just a quick post to let you know that I’ll be unplugged for the next week or so. I’m moving this weekend, as I mentioned in my Sunday Salon post, and getting ready has been more work than I anticipated. I’ll also be without internet at home from Saturday until the middle of next week.

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